6 Data Extraction Tools to Speed Up Your Work

The day to day tasks of running a business can be hard, not to mention time-consuming.

Especially when it comes to dealing with lots of data.

Just to get your hands on useful data you need to extract it from PDFs or spreadsheets, clean it, organise it, store it and analyze it. With lots of data, this can quickly become a full-time job.

Thankfully, data extraction tools are here to help.

But first:

What is Data Extraction?

Data extraction is the act of getting data out of a data source so you can process or store it. Basically, it is taking data from one format, and getting into the format you want to use. Using data extraction in a small business, mean’s being able to quickly and accurately get data from:

• PDF invoices
• Invoices and order forms
• contracts & HR documents
• Warranty agreements
• and much more.

Once data has been extracted, it can be imported into your system of choice so you can actually use it.

There’s only one problem:

There are lots of data extraction tools available, so deciding on the right one for your business can be tricky.

So what tools are available and what is right for your business?

6 Data Extraction Tools

Thankfully, here’s a list of some of the best data-extraction tools available.

These tools exist to automate the data management process, saving your business time and money. Each has different features, so take a look and see which tools you think will be most useful to your business.

#1 DocParser

DocParser is an easy-to-use tool that lets you extract data from everything from business documents.

It is a versatile tool that uses a custom parsing engine, meaning it can support lots of different use-cases. Docparser can also scrape data from sources that aren’t just web pages. This is a big time and money saver for lots of different tasks and across different industries.

What’s it useful for:

• PDF invocies
• scanned invoices
• purchase orders
• sales orders
• contracts
• warranty agreements
• HR forms
• delivery notes
• shipping orders
• catalogues
• price lists
• bank statements

#2 Import.io

Import.io is a web-based platform that can extract data from websites without needing to write any code.

There is a free version as well as a paid subscription which offers a managed service (web data experts take care of the technical side of things for you). This is great as it means you don’t need to build anything from scratch, making it fairly accessible to users of all skill levels (and budget-friendly).

Compared to manual data extraction, Import.io offers 8x more data and 20x more accuracy, while reducing costs by 66%. Useful statistics to keep in mind for small businesses, who can benefit from these time and cost savings.

What’s it useful for:

• equity research & alt data
• eCommerce & retail
• online travel
• sales and marketing intelligence
• risk management

#3 Octoparse

Octoparse is a simple three-step process for data collection. Again, there’s no coding need; just point, click and extract the data you need.

It allows you to scrape any website, even those that use infinite scrolling or require you to login which is a nice touch. Octoparse uses automatic IP rotation to stop your IP address from being blocked, so you can scrape more websites.

With scheduled scraping and a simple interface, anyone on your team who knows how to browse the internet can use this tool.

What’s it useful for:

• price monitoring
• lead generation
• marketing
• research

#4 Web Scraper

Web Scraper is an easy to use point-and-click web data extraction tool. It aims to make data extraction easy for everyone.

Built for the web, Web Scraper extract data from sites with features that are normally harder to get data from like multi-level navigation, JavaScript, or infinite scrolling.

It’s available as both a free browser extension and as a monthly subscriptions, for more functionality and multiple users. One great thing about this web tool is that it’s built on cloud technology. This allows it to grow with your business, so you don’t have to worry about outgrowing it and having to switch tools.

What’s it useful for:

• scraping ecommerce sites
• extracting multiple records from a single page
• getting product page data

#5 Mailparser

MailParser extracts data from emails, so you don’t have to manually enter it, saving you lots of time.

It’s pretty simple to use, just forward emails to MailParser, and the data you want is pull outs based on your own custom extraction rules.

Once the data has been extracted, you can download it or use the integrations to pass it where it needs to be.

What’s it useful for:

• Automated Data-Entry
• Contact Inquiries
• Lead Capturing
• Logistics & Delivery
• Order Fulfilment
• Attachment Parsing
• e-Commerce
• Real-Estate
• Tourism
• Digital & Communications
• Home Services

#6 ParseHub

ParseHub is a web scraping tool that lets you extract data at a click of a button

It can scrape complex websites that use JavaScript or Ajax, as well sites that restrict content with logins or use infinite scrolling. Scraped data is returned in JSON, Excel or API formats so it can be used in your platform of choice with ease.

What’s it useful for:

• Analysts & Consultants
• Sales Leads
• Developers
• Aggregators & Marketplaces
• Data Scientists & Journalists
• eCommerce

Summary

There you have it, 6 useful data extraction tools to start using in your business.

With many tools offering automated data entry, your business can reduce lots of time-consuming manual tasks, as well as reduce the risk of error. Small businesses, in particular, can benefit from using data extraction tools, as they can get more done with small teams.

You may not be aware, but the humble spreadsheet can actually be a great web scraper. In fact, web scraping with Google Sheets is pretty simple and there are even free templates available. So see what data you can get a hold of for free first before you commit to a paid tool.

If your business handles data, give some of these data extraction tools a go and see how much they help.